Feedback Winter Event - Bugs and Suggestions!
By
13th_Stranger,
Posted on: 2008-12-19 15:24 in Developers' Corner
Mine is subjective.
Halos either need to be accessible from the moment you create them or have their recipe text change to reflect the fact that you must be Level 30 and have completed the aura missions, in order to use them.
I find it odd that wing recipes which are crafted from in game items and currency are available as soon as you craft them( as early as level ten), even if the person who crafted them doesn't have the requisite Veteran Badge. Shouldn't craftable auras fall under the same rules then.
Thank you for your Time
Wolf-Spider
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Mine is subjective.
Halos either need to be accessible from the moment you create them or have their recipe text change to reflect the fact that you must be Level 30 and have completed the aura missions, in order to use them.
I find it odd that wing recipes which are crafted from in game items and currency are available as soon as you craft them( as early as level ten), even if the person who crafted them doesn't have the requisite Veteran Badge. Shouldn't craftable auras fall under the same rules then.
Thank you for your Time
Wolf-Spider
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I agree.
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I don't believe halos should be auras at all. They either belong under hats (assuming you can fix the hair issue) or under Head Detail 1. Why should I get screwed out of using a regular aura when I finally do hit 30? I had my angel's 'heavenly aura' already picked out in my head and now I'll have to decide between that and a halo. Not fair. Put em under Head Detail 1 and you solve all the problems people seem to have with them.
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Same thing with the ear muffs. Why are they under Detail 1 and not hats? Having to choose one or the other I can't keep my ears warm and protect my eyes from the blinding snow at the same time. This is poor design IMO.
I found that the ski slopes were impossible to get the gold or even silver on the advanced slope unless I had Super Jump.
Even using the jump-pack didnt give me the speed I needed
Even with multible buffs, I even used the jump & run speed buffs you can create in base + logged out for awile in the right area for an additional movement buff and thats not even counting mental training, and my set bonuses, and slotted a 50 jump IO in run. (got bronse)
While using Super Jump I got GOLD on my 1st run and I'm no spring chicken (no SB or IR/ID needed or used), its just so much faster so had to create a 2nd build using SJ to compleate the courses.
So Every buff possible + the jump-pack I saved from a meyhem and being lvl 50 gave me no wheres near the speed I needed.
Super Jump no buffs (diff char infact has no set bonuses, mental training, nothing) gets so much speed I had to slow down for the silver and bronse.
Seems unfair and way off balance forcing plp to take SJ or any set they may not like for a badge. (hows a 1 form warshade or PB supposed to do this?)
Can something be done about this? How about this, avtivating the course grants SJ (lvl 50 unslotted or whatever lvl speed needed) as a defualt/temp power for 3min or until it times out the run.
Hmm... I think it would be nifty if there was something that boosted your chances of getting a 'nice'; completing missions, rescuing baby new year, defeating the mobs that spawn if you get a naughty...
I don't know if it would be possible, but it would be cool if presents spawned inside missions, too. Perhaps have a present spawn in the entrance when the mission is completed?
Could we have additional Presentmas-themed radio/newspaper missions? steal/recover the glowy where the glowy is a large sack of presents, one of which has your name on it? =)
Could we have winter-themed enemies mugging people for candy canes in addition to the normal street thugs?
Hmm... if SJ seems to be the power of choice for getting the speed trials, could we get jingle boots(or something) in addition to the jingle jet, to boost your jumping power?
@Nitram_Tadur
Objective
I was playing a villain on Pinnacle last night. Ran several baby new year missions (yawn...repeat the repeat). The second time that I ran the missions and selected candy canes as the the reward I realized that I wasn't getting the 5 candy canes that I was selecting at the mission complete.
Now, maybe I was so tired on the second time around that I clicked the wrong thing, but I don't think so...I don't think that it was possible at all that both times that I selected the candy canes that I miss clicked on accepting my pick.
I am not supposed to post how these missions are getting exploited on the forums, but I think everyone knows that these missions are getting exploited like crazy.
These kind of "log in between here and here" situations does make me log in all my characters. I don't know if that is intended or not for some kind of server census or something, but that is what I do. It is time consuming, but I do it none-the-less. I guess I do have a little badge hound in me.
Subjective
Oh...I guess that "yawn...repeat the repeat" was subjective. That is in fact what it is however. I'm repeatedly repeating missions that I repeatedly repeated last year. I think that it is getting old. There was a lot going on, but maybe even something to randomize the mission a bit more could have been done....if not adding more missions to pick form.
Am not one really to get into the ski stuff all the much, but I think it was good that another course was added. It was pretty exciting to to the new one the couple of times that I did it. I don't know how many times I'll do it. I'm not worried about getting the badges.
Well, I guess with the Rikti invasions and Zombies still popping up, it would be kind of crazy to start springing out a full scale Winter World invasion...but gee...I do kind of wish...yeah..I do. I remember the massive Winter Lord battles in Kings Row that first year that they showed up. It made me make characters with high travels speeds and recall team so I could drop people off at the spawn points and run back to one to assemble the team (one tp at at time back then) when one would spawn. And yeah, that's characters, because I did it on more than one server.
I miss the lakes freezing over even though I had a bunch of characters get stuck in the ice. I thought that was really cool.
Seasonal effects I think are awesome in the game. I sometimes wish there were more weather effects in general. (oh, yeah, I really like the newer water effect trails. I don't think I just missed them before. really cool..yeah, I have some characters that do a lot of swimming...not that there is usually much to battle in the water...)
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Mine is subjective.
Halos either need to be accessible from the moment you create them or have their recipe text change to reflect the fact that you must be Level 30 and have completed the aura missions, in order to use them.
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Judging from the GMOTD if you haven't logged on today, you will be able to get them early. And tint them too.
Arc #40529 : The Furies of the Earth
I'll make a judgement on whether this is objective or subjective... or maybe both.
* I absolutely hate the fact that the only way for you get to even get close to purchasing a set, is to have to farm 24 times (per character). And let's not start on the points needed for badges. No thank you.
* Anyway, father time can offer a different set of missions instead of the same one over and over?
* Slopes seem to be more geared toward those with a lot of friends with Speed Boost-like boosts and super speed... No idea how to do the run in 10 seconds.
*An easier way back up to the top would be appreciated. Especially if you ran the slope run and am now looking at the ceiling wondering how to get back up.
* A teleporter beacon inside the ski resort area would be fun. (Make it a seasonal thing where the door will only open at the winter event not before.)
* Please do not have on the Zombie/Rikti missions... Including the spawning of the LGTF. It's irritable.
There's more.
EDIT: I saw that... it made no sense.
I ave a few suggestions that might freshen things up a bit since the same old stuff is getting stale.
Freeze all the waterways like you did in the first winter event. It was a blast to skate around lakes and have snowball fights or race up and down the river in Gemini Park. It would also let people enjoy skating that have no interest in the badges or dealing with an overcrowded and laggy zone.
Add candy canes to the drop tables for the winter event mobs. The game has been around long enough that a lot of people have a lot of characters they'd like to get the goodies for. As is the event is more of a grindfest than the fun event it's meant to be.
We have the BNY coop mission, which is fine though a bit worn out. I would like 2 new non-coop missions.
For the villains. Raid Santa's workshop, kidnap the elves, and steal candy canes. The Tuatha can have thier noses colored red and be used as reindeer troopers to act as guards. White Warwolves could serve as Yeti, and of course, snowmen that battle for the side a good could all be part of the npcs the villains would have to contend with.
For the heroes. Rescue Santa's elves and be rewarded with candy canes. Whatever villain group has kidnapped them would depend on the level of the mission holder. But they would also have Redcaps acting as grunts, and the evil snowmen as well.
Objective Feedback: The Baby New Year mission allows for the following exploit: Level 50 character teams with a bunch of level 10 characters. Level 10 character gets the mission. Level 50 character stomps through the mission in two minutes. Ding: everyone has 5 candy canes.
Subjective Feedback: I saw this exploit done with a brand-new player with a level 10 character. The level 50 player was exasperated because the newbie kept trying to do something. This sort of thing isn't particularly good for the game.
I think it really calls into question the way experience and rewards are granted in general. Characters who stand by the entrance of a mission and do nothing should get no rewards. Perhaps characters who don't use their powers and never become potential targets for aggro (relative to other members of the team) should be treated as if they haven't been on the mission long enough to receive a reward. The devs should be able to figure out some way of detecting sandbaggers.
This is a general change that should apply to all missions.
Objective:
The high requirements for every item that candy canes (CC) can be exchanged for mean that high levels are opting to speed around in low level zones opening presents. Because there is no reward for defeating the snow beasts, this results in large or high-level mobs being spawned and left hanging around to defeat the zone-appropriate characters with ease.
I suggest that the snow beasts that spawn with the presents be given a 5% chance to drop a candy cane, as this would encourage them to be defeated instead of being just left.
The luge slide in Pocket D has several places where the geometry is slightly misaligned, and hitting those certain places in the track will bring your character to a halt or at least slow them down drastically.
The geyser on the luge slide does not work properly if you are using speed buffs or have superjump active. This is a problem because you are all but required to have SJ or SS active in order to win a medal.
There are gates on the ski run that are extremely difficult or impossible to get without SJ or SS active.
Subjective:
It is impossible to earn any of the major CC rewards without farming of some kind; either 'speed runs' of the Baby New Year mission or spending hours and hours hopping from present to present. I find both of these behaviours very boring.
The Baby New Year mission had to be done at least five times last year, and this year it's being done over and over again. If there were another mission that granted the same rewards in addition to BNY it would allievate the boredom and frustration somewhat.
There needs to be some way to earn CCs during the rest of the year, because it now has a lot of stuff tied to it that is of real use for the rest of the year (for example, the auras and IO sets) and having those items restricted to one month out of twelve seems unnecessarily harsh.
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There needs to be some way to earn CCs during the rest of the year, because it now has a lot of stuff tied to it that is of real use for the rest of the year (for example, the auras and IO sets) and having those items restricted to one month out of twelve seems unnecessarily harsh.
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You mean like Halloween salvage? 
You can farm and store Candy Canes, though with the 30 piece limit for base salvage, it could be more frustrating than it's worth.
Personally, I don't care that they're time limited. To me, that just makes them more special.
@Arwen Darkblade
Proud Member of Hammer of the Gods and Sanguine Syndicate
Arc ID #86194 "Cry Havoc"
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One problem seems to be the gold, silver, and bronze times on the new slope were set to be round numbers (50s, 1:00s, 1:10s) as opposed to numbers based on testing. I very well could be wrong and the new slopes were designed with these numbers in mind.
Last year's slope was and still is fun. As long as you had some sort of jump power (CJ, SJ, IR, Jump Pack) you could get gold easily once you learned the course.
The new slope seems to be a struggle in perfection. Getting gold times requires SJ + Hurdle or greater. The Jump Pack doesn't seem to supply enough "traction". Also any minor misstep yields greater than gold times.
Suggestion based on play testing: Up the gold, silver, and bronze times to something like 55s, 1:05s, 1:15s if "round" numbers are required.
They need to add a mission or two each year so it's not the same all the time.
Overall I am satisfied with the Winter Event this year. The existance of Dual Builds allowed me to respec into a number of travel powers that aided my badge hunters to complete their OCD with regards to the ski and bobsled runs. I am perfectly satisfied with the drop rate of canes on presents and do not mind the other aspects of Candy Cane collecting.
I did not like what was done to the Winters Gift IO's with regards to dissalowing them to be slotted into the Prestige Sprints. I am well aware of the arguements and such, I am just stating my feelings here.
From the badge angle, I again cannot complain, we got a new one this year and we can get the old ones for new alts with canes. All good.
Realy the ONLY thing I really wish they would do is bring back the frozen water In Paragon (not just in the BNY mission). I miss ice skating outdoors. It was jun and debris hockey is money!
High Beam - 50 Blaster Energy/Ice - 1228 Badges
Munitions Mistress - 50 Mercs/Traps
Many Other 50's, Too Many Alts, All On Freedom
Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should!
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You can farm and store Candy Canes, though with the 30 piece limit for base salvage, it could be more frustrating than it's worth.
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A characters inventory space for candy canes is assumed to be 9999 (like vanguard merits and brainstorms) I dont know of anyone who has hit it.
you dont need base strorage for them.
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
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There needs to be some way to earn CCs during the rest of the year, because it now has a lot of stuff tied to it that is of real use for the rest of the year (for example, the auras and IO sets) and having those items restricted to one month out of twelve seems unnecessarily harsh.
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You mean like Halloween salvage?
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Halloween salvage can be turned in all year, the contacts are available year round in normal zones. The salvage also has only ONE application. It does not need to be farmed. And it drops off of defeatable mobs.
The only aspect that is comparable is time window. The application and availability is widely disparate, and THAT is the issue.
Some of the aspects of Halloween salvage should be duplicated with Winter Event salvage (drop off mobs, be able to be turned in year round), it would solve some problems.
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I think it would have been cool if they'd given us a 'sled/ski/whatever' temp power for use on the ski slopes. Something similar in appearance to the Prestige Power Slide, maybe. So that *everyone* would have immediate access to a power that would let them at least have a chance for the gold.
Objective: King's Row and Galaxy City still appear to have had their level ranges swapped for the spawns from presents. Specifically, KR presents spawn under 5s, GC spawns level 9s. I bugged this last year, too. I don't understand why this hasn't been fixed.
Subjective: My personal naughty/nice ratio is 3 or 4 to 1. As a hero, I'm offended. Well, no, not really. But TBH, I'd find it a lot less annoying if those "You've been naughty!" messages didn't show up at all.
One drawback of the internet is how it has trained so many people to think that one day is a long time.
I'm for the suggestion to give the present spawns GM coding, too. I opened one present in Galaxy City on my newly created Tanker (Lv. 3 at the time) and got Lv. 9 Snowmen from it. And of course, there's the issue of high-level characters ignoring snowmen they could easily defeat, but the people who actually belong in the zone can't. You'd think common courtesy would be enough of an incentive for things like that, but I've been proven wrong in that many times, both in real life and in-game.
I'd also like to see some more variety in the holiday missions, too. Like, what ever happened to the "Steal/Recover the Presents" missions from just after CoV launch?
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Arc ID# 403174: The Serpent's Revenge.
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Objective Feedback: The Baby New Year mission allows for the following exploit: Level 50 character teams with a bunch of level 10 characters. Level 10 character gets the mission. Level 50 character stomps through the mission in two minutes. Ding: everyone has 5 candy canes.
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Objective:
Conversely if you are trying to team "normally" and run the lvl 50 missions with the lvl 10 sk'd up (or the level 10 missions with the 50 exemp'd down) then the character that is either SK'd or Exemp'd will get no reward. I'm not sure if this is WAI, but I really hope not.
Subjective:
As it stand right now the BNY missions encourage mindless farming instead of standard teaming which I doubt is what the development team wants (though perhaps I have misjudged that).
Note - I am aware that this can be worked around by un-sk'ing/exemp'ing at the correct moment, but that just means more hassle for playing by the assumed rules.
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Objective Feedback: The Baby New Year mission allows for the following exploit: Level 50 character teams with a bunch of level 10 characters. Level 10 character gets the mission. Level 50 character stomps through the mission in two minutes. Ding: everyone has 5 candy canes.
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Objective:
Conversely if you are trying to team "normally" and run the lvl 50 missions with the lvl 10 sk'd up (or the level 10 missions with the 50 exemp'd down) then the character that is either SK'd or Exemp'd will get no reward. I'm not sure if this is WAI, but I really hope not.
Subjective:
As it stand right now the BNY missions encourage mindless farming instead of standard teaming which I doubt is what the development team wants (though perhaps I have misjudged that).
Note - I am aware that this can be worked around by un-sk'ing/exemp'ing at the correct moment, but that just means more hassle for playing by the assumed rules.
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Are you sure their Objective isn't mindless stomping thru missions? Seems like every issue they add more things that only require mindless stomping and are very slow to stop exploits that encourage it.
Looking just at their actions and not their words, this is the FARM OF HEROES. 
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I'm for the suggestion to give the present spawns GM coding, too. I opened one present in Galaxy City on my newly created Tanker (Lv. 3 at the time) and got Lv. 9 Snowmen from it. And of course, there's the issue of high-level characters ignoring snowmen they could easily defeat, but the people who actually belong in the zone can't. You'd think common courtesy would be enough of an incentive for things like that, but I've been proven wrong in that many times, both in real life and in-game.
I'd also like to see some more variety in the holiday missions, too. Like, what ever happened to the "Steal/Recover the Presents" missions from just after CoV launch?
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Year after year its the same thing and the same complaints. Spawns like this should Con white or orange to everyone. When you get a NAUGHTY the Monsters should also automatically agro on the person who opens it.
But I know I'm wasting my breath... they jhave't listened for 4.5 years now.
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I'm for the suggestion to give the present spawns GM coding, too. I opened one present in Galaxy City on my newly created Tanker (Lv. 3 at the time) and got Lv. 9 Snowmen from it. And of course, there's the issue of high-level characters ignoring snowmen they could easily defeat, but the people who actually belong in the zone can't. You'd think common courtesy would be enough of an incentive for things like that, but I've been proven wrong in that many times, both in real life and in-game.
I'd also like to see some more variety in the holiday missions, too. Like, what ever happened to the "Steal/Recover the Presents" missions from just after CoV launch?
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Year after year its the same thing and the same complaints. Spawns like this should Con white or orange to everyone. When you get a NAUGHTY the Monsters should also automatically agro on the person who opens it.
But I know I'm wasting my breath... they jhave't listened for 4.5 years now.
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I think the reason they havent "listened" is rather they look at the realistic aspect, which is that many players simply click and bolt. Instant aggro or not, they are out of there regardless. So instead of a zone capped(ish) spawn they have someones high end spawn. If they slapped GM coding on them, like a Rikti Raid or something, people would still bolt and it would still leave a spawn that, if it had been a large team that clicked and ran, a large spawn that GM code or not, the player will still have a real trouble beating. The problem remains the same.
To be honest, the real solution is to have the spawn be the only thing that drops candy canes, on defeat and that other than say Snowball Temps, Jingle Jet or Snowman Build powers or Present inspirations, there is no cane drop for Nice. People would be more likely to clean up their spawns.
High Beam - 50 Blaster Energy/Ice - 1228 Badges
Munitions Mistress - 50 Mercs/Traps
Many Other 50's, Too Many Alts, All On Freedom
Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should!
Objective:
Development did not allow for lag in timing the ski slopes. This makes even a bronze medal run on the new Luge/Bobsled run impossible at certain times of the day, when there are multiple Pocket D instances up.
Candy Canes are difficult to get unless you do "speed runs" of Baby New Year missions. Opening presents leads to about a 70% "Naughty" rate, with only 30% or so chance of getting a "Nice".
Subjective:
Ski runs are fun but frustrating if you're going for a badge.
Candy Canes are frustratingly low in number. After going for *one* Winter's Gift IO set on one character, I'm going to be giving up on the idea of getting them for any of the others. It's going to be hard enough getting the badges and costume parts on the few characters I've designated for that.